Company Profile
Orexigen Therapeutics, Inc. is a biopharmaceutical company focused on the development of pharmaceutical product candidates for the treatment of obesity. Our lead combination product candidates targeted for obesity are Contrave® (naltrexone SR/bupropion SR), which is in Phase 3 clinical trials, and Empatic™ (zonisamide SR/bupropion SR), which is in the later stages of Phase 2 clinical development.
Obesity: A Growing Epidemic
With more than 75 million Americans now considered to be obese, there is a paramount need for new interventions that address this growing epidemic.
Obesity is linked to many serious medical conditions such as Type 2 diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, stroke, depression and some forms of cancer. Today, obesity has a greater impact on the development of chronic medical conditions than does daily smoking or alcoholism. According to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), approximately 300,000 deaths per year in the United States (U.S) are associated with this chronic disease.
In addition, obesity and its co-morbidities are believed to cause significant added cost to the health care system. In 2000, the Surgeon General’s Call to Action to Prevent and Decrease Overweight and Obesity estimated the overall economic costs of obesity in the U.S. to be $117 billion.
Fulfilling the Unmet Need
Our approach involves taking advantage of the synergy between established products, combined with our novel science, resulting in unique mechanisms of action that act on the central nervous system. Our drug combinations are designed to initiate and sustain weight loss by reducing appetite and increasing metabolism. We believe Contrave is the first treatment for obesity to address the reward system in the brain that causes food cravings.
Comprehensive Intellectual Property Strategy
We apply a comprehensive intellectual property strategy for our lead product candidates in multiple jurisdictions, including the U.S. and other commercially significant markets. We have a number of issued patents covering composition and methods of use in obesity. In addition, our proprietary sustained release formulations, unique dosage strengths and titration regimens for Contrave and Empatic further enhance our proprietary position. We own or have exclusive rights to numerous patent applications currently pending in the United States and in jurisdictions outside of the United States with respect to various compositions, methods of use and formulations relating to Contrave and/or Empatic.